


Not So Weightless

by vverra



Series: Not So Weightless [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Force Bond (Star Wars), Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, and thats a very heavy burden for such small shoulders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:40:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29664651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vverra/pseuds/vverra
Summary: When your ten year old Padawan is The Chosen One, there are always new challenges to overcome. Sometimes those challenges are nightmares, sometimes they're much more than that.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Not So Weightless [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179905
Comments: 16
Kudos: 72





	Not So Weightless

Obi-wan was sleeping peacefully until he wasn’t. 

Consciousness came back suddenly and all at once, leaving him gasping for air as his eyes tried desperately to focus in the darkness of his bedroom- only the smallest bit of Coruscant night-life filtering in from his closed blinds and offering help to his straining eyes. Obi-wan laid there, one hand to his chest as he felt his heartbeat slow beneath his palm. 

It was strange, he thought as he laid there now completely awake, the way his body was reacting as if he had awoken from some terrible nightmare when all he could recall from moments before was a peaceful sleep. Confused, Obi-wan searched back in his mind for the specifics of his dream, perhaps he had been having a nightmare. As he drifted through his mind, Obi-wan could feel a residual terror hovering at the edge of his consciousness and out of curiosity, Obi-wan poked at it.

It responded immediately by reaching its frantic tendrils out to him, tightening his chest and choking him with fear once again. There was pain and terror and blinding panic that was not his own. Obi-wan pulled back. He knew now what had awoken him. 

Obi-wan hadn’t picked up on it at first because their bond was so new and unfamiliar, different in all the ways Qui-Gon’s and his had never been, but the terror sitting just to the back of his mind wasn’t his own at all. It belonged to the ten year old in the bedroom next to him who was almost certainly awake.

Obi-wan sighed, putting a tired hand up to cover his eyes. This was not the first time his new Padawan had awoken him, on accident or on purpose, because of a nightmare. It was becoming something of a habit and Obi-wan was almost at his wit’s end on how to remedy the situation. 

Across their bond, Obi-wan could sense Anakin’s distress, the almost alarming amount of angst the boy was unconsciously flooding their bond with. For one terrible moment, Obi-wan considered not going to him; not dragging his exhausted body out of bed and across the cold, darkness of their apartment to check on his Padawan. Maybe if he just rolled over and went back to sleep, Anakin would be able to call on his training and find enough peace to also fall back asleep. Then in the morning, when they were both more rested, they could discuss what had bothered him. Obi-wan released a weary breath. 

There was a bright flash of agony across their bond, like a cry for help from Anakin’s subconscious, and Obi-wan felt terrible for even considering leaving his Padawan to deal with whatever was afflicting him alone. That is not what a Master did, it was not what Qui-Gon would have ever done.

At that thought, Obi-wan threw off his duvet and moved with haste through their small apartment until he was standing outside Anakin’s door. He paused before entering, trying to get a feel for what was happening inside, but there was nothing clear to him in the Force about his apprentice other than the immense pain he was in. Obi-wan didn’t bother with knocking, he pressed the release and stepped inside. 

For a moment, Obi-wan was confused because as he looked toward Anakin’s bed it appeared empty, no child in sight even as Anakin’s Force signature confirmed he was there in the quiet, dark space, even if he couldn’t be seen. But it was not completely silent because as Obi-wan stood there, he heard small sobs coming from the floor on the far side of the bed, signalling where his missing Padawan was. 

“Anakin?” Obi-wan asked, moving slowly toward the bed.

There was no response except another shuddering breath. As Obi-wan rounded the bed he saw a sight that nearly moved him to tears. 

Anakin was laying in a nest of blankets on the floor, curled up in a fetal position clutching at his head as his small body shook with the force of his sobbing. Obi-wan all but fell to the ground beside him, his desire to offer comfort so strong it pulled the breath from his lungs. This was not the result of a regular nightmare, whatever was afflicting his Padawan was something more grave. 

“Anakin,” he said again with more urgency. “Anakin, are you okay?”

He reached out to place a comforting hand on Anakin’s quivering shoulder. Anakin flinched at the contact but opened his eyes and turned to stare up at Obi-wan with a watery, pain-filled gaze. 

“It  _ hurts, _ ” he sobbed, “Master, it hurts so bad, please make it stop!”

“Make what stop?” Obi-wan asked frantically. He began to check Anakin over for physical injuries. He wasn’t sure how the boy would have gotten so grievously injured between dinner and now, but he was always finding trouble under rugs so Obi-wan wouldn't be totally surprised. 

“My head,” Anakin clarified. “They’re screaming; they’re all screaming, and they’re  _ hurt so badly.  _ Obi-wan, help them!”

Obi-wan had never faced something like this before, but as much as his body filled with freezing terror, he tried not to let anything show on his face or through their bond. Anakin needed him to be strong and calm so that they could work this out together. 

“Who, Anakin? Who do I need to help?”

“I don’t know!” Anakin cried, his fingers finding purchase in the short strands of his hair and pulling at them hard. “They’re all trapped and they’re dying.” 

Suddenly, Anakin threw himself at Obi-wan, wrapping his arms around Obi-wan’s neck tightly. Obi-wan caught him with only mild surprise, his hands coming up to hold the boy tightly. He could feel the sweat clinging to Anakin through his sleeping tunic and the slight tremors that shook his thin shoulders. He was still so small…

Obi-wan had never felt so young and inexperienced as a Jedi. If Qui-Gon had been here, he would have known exactly where to look to soothe the hurt and calm the crying child. Obi-wan had no experience in that, nothing to offer. He needed someone who did. 

He deliberated only a moment before situating Anakin more securely in his arms and heading quickly for the door. Barefooted and clad only in his sleep clothes, Obi-wan ran through the Temple halls until he came upon a familiar door; one he had spent much time in as a youngling. 

It opened before Obi-wan had the chance to knock. Yoda stood on the other side, his expression appearing relaxed, but Obi-wan could tell by the slight downturn of his mouth that he was troubled. 

“Master Yoda,” he said, breathless from running, “I-”

“Come in, Obi-wan,” Yoda said, “Help your Padawan, we must.”

Obi-wan nodded and carried Anakin inside Yoda’s apartment. It was quiet in the old Jedi’s rooms, but the kind of quiet that always reminded Obi-wan of the inside of a sacred chapel; a feeling of reverent serenity warming the air until it felt like a gentle embrace. 

He followed Yoda to a small mat covered spot on the floor beside the large window that overlooked Coruscant. Obi-wan sat down across from where Yoda stood, keeping his still softly whimpering Padawan securely on his lap. With a gentle nudge from his Master, Anakin pulled away some from where he had firmly tucked himself into Obi-wan’s neck and faced Yoda. 

“Your pain, young Skywalker, I could feel from across the Temple. Disturbed many tonight, you have,” Yoda began, not unkindly. He shuffled a little closer, placing a wrinkled hand to Anakin’s forehead. “Find the cause, we must. What do you feel?”

“Pain,” Anakin said, his voice breaking. Obi-wan tightened his hold. “But it’s not mine, it’s  _ theirs.  _ They’re all in so much pain.”   


He had begun to cry again, a deep river carving paths down his cheeks and falling onto the arm Obi-wan had wrapped around him. Anakin tried to wipe them away, but more and more took their place until he abandoned the pursuit of trying to dry them away and let them flow freely. 

Yoda hummed. “Firmly in place your shields are, yet past them this unknown pain comes, hm? Most Interesting.”

“What does that mean, Master?” Obi-wan asked. 

“Allowed this anomaly, the Force has. For a purpose, using young Skywalker as a vessel it is.” 

Obi-wan’s brow furrowed. What did that mean?

“Find clarity among the chaos, you must, child.” Yoda lowered his voice and leaned in closer to Anakin, almost allowing their foreheads to touch. “Let the Force’s bidding flow through you, but do not let it consume you. Separate yourself, you need to.” 

“I ca-can’t,” Anakin cried, his voice jerking. “It’s too much!”

“Then just breath your Master,” Yoda advised. He removed his hand from Anakin’s forehead and motioned for Obi-wan to place his own there. Obi-wan did. “Guide you to it, he will.”

Obi-wan grimaced. Yoda sounded confident about Obi-wan’s ability to help Anakin, but Obi-wan himself was a little less sure. He had never done this before, didn’t know the right steps to take. 

_ The bond between a Master and a Padawan is unique to each pair, and with that bond comes a balance only the two of them can find. There is no written guide for how to find this balance. It is found only in the hearts of the bonded, cultivated by the Force. We will find that balance, it only takes time. _

Qui-God had told him that once when he was still young and afraid that he was not worthy of being Qui-Gon’s Padawan. It had worked to help soothe his fears, and after that he found it much easier to connect with his Master. He used that soothing lesson to help his Padawan now. 

“Just breathe with me, Anakin,” he coaxed. “Just match your breathing to mine.”

At first it didn’t work. Anakin’s breathing was too jerky and quick, but Obi-wan stayed consistent. He let Anakin come down to him instead of rising to reach Anakin on his spire of panic. After a few long minutes, Anakin’s breathing slowed to a place where it fell in sync with Obi-wan’s. 

Obi-wan could sense the iron-clad grip of pain the Force had on his Padawan slowly loosen until Anakin was not stuck in it’s embrace. He reached out along their bond and helped to create a barrier between Anakin and the pain. Now that they had connected, it was much easier for Obi-wan to help him. 

Yoda smiled encouragingly at the pair and then began to move toward his comm system as Obi-wan and Anakin stayed together on the mat. He punched in a number and offered no explanation while the line connected. The blue hologram of an unfamiliar man lit up the room. 

“Master Yoda,” the man said, “that’s funny, I was just about to contact the Temple.”

“Captain Pao,” Yoda replied, “an emergency, the city has had tonight?”

“Yes, a building collapsed over in CoCo Town; a low income apartment complex. A lot of families are trapped inside. My team was hoping you’d be able to spare some Jedi to help move the rubble and search for survivors.”

“Of course,” Yoda said, already making plans on his datapad. Obi-wan assumed he was waking the other members of the Council to begin a plan of action. “As many Jedi as can be found, sent to your aid will be.”

“Thank you, sir,” Captain Pao said sincerely, placing a hand over his chest. “I have to go, but I’ll let the guys know to expect some Jedi.”

With that, Captain Pao disappeared and the room was dark again without the blue light from the hologram. Obi-wan was speechless. He looked between Anakin and Yoda. 

Anakin broke the silence, asking the same question Obi-wan had been thinking. “So that’s what I heard in my head? All of those trapped people?”

Yoda turned back to them. “Yes,” he answered. “Go I must, to assemble a rescue team.”   


Obi-wan nodded, moving to stand, but Anakin surprised him by jumping from his lap to stand in front of Yoda.

“I want to go,” he demanded.

“Anakin,-” Obi-wan started. This was going to be no place for children, especially one who was already exhausted from a night of sobbing and who was probably dehydrated. “We will be returning to bed. The other Jedi can-”

“No!” Anakin yelled, vehemently, turning to look at Obi-wan. His face was still blotchy and red from crying and he had dark circles beneath his eyes, but under all that was the ever present burning sun that Obi-wan had come to know was inside his Padawan. The desire to _keep_ _going_ even when he was far beyond his limits. “The Force reached out to me, I should be there to help.”

Obi-wan knew he would not back down easily. “You’re exhausted, it would not be-”

But Obi-wan was cut off by Anakin turning his back to him and speaking to Yoda directly. 

“I know where every person is below that rubble. I know exactly what injuries they have. I can  _ feel _ it, Master Yoda, I have to be there to help.”

Obi-wan was mildly horrified to hear that, to know how much pain and suffering his Padawan was absorbing and was still remaining upright and lucid. It should have brought any fully trained Jedi Master to their knees. 

But his Padawan was not a normal Jedi, never had been and never would be. He could run faster, jump higher, than any other Padawan his age, and beyond. Anakin had already mastered so many skills in under a year that others struggled with for twice as long and for this reason, Obi-wan saw the exact moment when Yoda decided he was going to allow a ten year old to join the search and rescue team. 

“Accompany the others, you may,” Yoda said. He raised one small, green finger to wave in front of Anakin’s face. “However, over do it, you must not. Help only where help is needed and to your Master- you will  _ listen.” _

Whereas Anakin had been shaking from the pressure of holding onto others’ pain only a few minutes ago, now he was coiled with the anticipation of leaving and going to help the victims. He had found his clarity among the swirling turmoil and now he was desperate to use that newfound purpose to help those whose pain he had felt so viscerally. 

“Thank you, Master. I won’t, I promise,” Anakin said, bowing respectfully.

Obi-wan sighed. “I guess this means we must go put our robes on, Anakin. Come along.”

Anakin reached out to take Obi-wan’s hand and Obi-wan let himself be pulled to the door by his impatient charge. 

This was going to be a long night. 

* * *

Obi-wan could feel the stares and the smiles smothered behind hands from the other Jedi in the Temple as he dragged himself through the halls and up to their apartment. He figured he was a sight to see- clearly exhausted, covered head to toe in dirt, and lugging a sleeping ten year old on his back. 

He didn’t blame them. He would have probably laughed, too, if he could have seen himself as he was then; if he could think past the dizzying tiredness that was deep in his bones. All he wanted was to lay down and go to sleep. 

The sun was high in the sky and most occupants of Coruscant were probably returning from lunch, ready to begin their afternoon. But, not Obi-wan and his Padwan. 

All night they had stayed at the collapse sight. Obi-wan helped lift transparisteel beam after transparisteel beam, barely stopping to allow himself to think or catch his breath. The only time he’d take a break was to search out the only other person moving with more of a single-minded focus than himself. 

Anakin flitted around the debris like a manic monkey, jumping down into holes and emerging with women and children. He would stand off to the side and yell with more authority than any ten year old should possibly possess about where the machines needed to work next to save the most critically injured people. The men in charge were skeptical of him at first. Who wouldn’t be? How could this barely four and half foot tall, blonde child know better than anyone else here how to do their job. But Anakin, like he did with most people, won them over almost instantly with his charm and the way he backed up his words with actions. He helped anywhere he could, even after all of the other Jedi had returned to the Temple. Anakin refused to leave until every person was accounted for. 

And without ever seeing an apartment resident registry, Anakin made sure every person was found- dead or alive. 

He had overdone it, despite Master Yoda’s warning, using every bit of strength provided to him by the Force to continue way after most others had stopped. But, Obi-wan wasn’t surprised. he could have predicted that would happen. 

His Padawan- his selfless, kind, dauntless Padawan- had no sense of when it was time to stop when there were people in need. Anakin would have lifted that debris brick by brick if he had been asked to. 

Obi-wan considered this as he gently removed Anakin from his back and laid him down on Obi-wan’s bed. Anakin’s sheets were still a tangled mess on the floor and that seemed too big a problem to deal with currently, Obi-wan’s sleepy brain reasoned. Anakin could just sleep beside him, as they sometimes did. 

After securing the blinds tightly to try and mimic the darkness of night time and trick his body into sleeping better, Obi-wan crawled into bed beside Anakin. The boy didn’t even move and Obi-wan used his thumb to wipe at a particularly dark spot of soot on the boy's face. 

A much deserved rest was sorely needed by both of them, but before Obi-wan could drift off, he found his mind continually returning to something Anakin had kept repeating to him the night before. 

_ Help them, please Master, help them! _

Anakin had been shaking with pain, his mind registering nothing but the suffering of the people trapped beneath their home and he had never once asked Obi-wan to help  _ him.  _ Even before he knew who needed help, if they were even real or could be helped, Anakin had called to Obi-wan to help them before himself. 

Maybe he realized that he, himself, wasn’t in any danger despite the warnings flashing in his mind. Or, maybe he knew that by saving the others, Anakin would also be helped. 

Obi-wan didn’t know. He didn’t know a lot of things when it came to being the Jedi Master to The Chosen One. There wasn’t exactly a handbook. It was as much a learning experience for Obi-wan as it was for Anakin, last night had proved that in leaps and bounds. But Anakin’s unwavering trust in him kept him grounded and faithful that he was at least doing a few things right. 

In his sleep, Anakin rolled over closer to Obi-wan, his face now tucked snuggly into Obi-wan’s shoulder. He fit into Obi-wan’s side like he was meant to be there. Perhaps he was by the will of the Force. 

Obi-wan wrapped his arm around his Padawan, keeping him close and let his eyes slide shut as sleep beckoned him to it’s dreamless abyss.

Despite what the Force demanded of his child, and how much of that he would have to face alone, Obi-wan vowed to never leave his side. That way if Anakin ever needed a shoulder to huddle under, Obi-wan could be there to help support the weight of his Padawan’s heavy destiny. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is the first work in a series of one shots about Anakin being The Chosen One and his support system. I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> As always, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think! Or, come say hi on tumblr @laheyy 
> 
> Thanks for reading :) 
> 
> -Mara :)


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